The town was quiet and calm during day time but as the evening grew closer, it started to fill up with all kinds of young people. There were vampires, werewolves, witches and even some humans. Most of the humans knew what they were up against. The ones who lived in the region were mainly those who belonged to the founding families and they were protected by the supernatural beings who had come up with laws to ensure that humans were not killed off recklessly.
Emma had managed to borrow money from a rich merchant so they were seated at a pub whose balcony overlooked the main street of the town.
“It looks so peaceful here,” Ken said. “It’s very different from the country. The people seem so simple and there’s a lot of things going on. It makes my pack extremely boring in comparison.”
“I believe now you can see why some of us prefer to move around and see the world,” Emma said. “Personally, I don’t think I can stay in one place my entire life. It’s boring. I don’t understand how some people enjoy quiet pack life.”
“I didn’t mind it much, but after coming out here, my perspective is beginning to change. I was satisfied with life at the pack because that’s what I was used to. I never wondered what it would be like out here.”
Emma smiled. She looked down and saw a handsome young man and a beautiful woman holding hands and teasing themselves as they walked down the street. The man was wearing a black t-shirt and black shorts plus a red cape. The young woman was wearing a red dress with blue flowers. They both looked radiant and happy, ready to conquer the world.
She felt tears rolling down her cheeks and used the back of her left hand to dry them. The couple reminded her of her and Tommy, back when they thought they’d always be together. Life had been so simple and the future had looked bright.
“Are you okay?”
“No,” she answered honestly. “I miss Tommy so much. I don’t mean to be insensitive to you but I can’t help thinking about him. He was my world for many years and I never prepared myself for what would happen if he was no longer around. i hate Axel White. One day, I’m going to go back and destroy that pack of yours.”
“You’re not serious about that, are you? Revenge won’t fix anything.”
“It will make me feel better. If you think I’m going to just let this go, then you don’t know me at all. Axel killed my boyfriend and turned into a slave. I will never forget that. I don’t even know if Tommy eventually got buried well. That bustard and his men didn’t let him have a decent burial. Tommy didn’t deserve that, and neither did I or my friends. We were living our lives, minding our businesses. In order to get them out of there, I have to destroy Axel White.”
“And how will you manage to do that? This will only cause you more pain and I don’t think you should put yourself through this.”
Emma sighed and glanced at the waitress who was refiling their mugs. When she finished and walked away, she continued. “The only reason my friends are trapped there is because I insisted we wait before burying Tommy. They wouldn’t be there if we had buried Tommy quickly and left immediately. I will never forgive myself if I leave them there.”
“You should stop blaming yourself for what happened.”
“Okay Ken, just stop talking about this because you won’t understand. I’ll deal with the situation how I want and that’s all.”
“Okay.”
An hour later, they heard loud music and knew that the party had started. They paid up and went to the venue. By the time they reached, the place was already swarming with young people. They got themselves some drinks and started dancing together.
“Wait,” Ken said, pausing.
“What is it?”
“That scent,” he said, sniffing the air. “It’s rosy, and so sweet. Can you smell it too?”
Emma sniffed the air. All she could smell was sweat and alcohol. She shook her head. “No. what if it’s your mate?”
“Sniff again and find out where it’s coming from.”
Ken sniffed again and turned. “Let’s go out back.”
They went through the back door of the pub and went out. There were about fifty people in the dimly lit yard. Ken stopped walking and stared at a young woman who was standing with her friends who were dancing. Their eyes met. Emma glanced at both alternatively and noticed the attraction between them. She smiled.
Suddenly, the girl turned and started running. Ken and Emma struggled to make their way through the crowded quad. By the time they got through it, the young woman was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did she go?” Emma asked.
“Towards the road. Let’s go.”
They ran towards the road. When they were about to reach, a car set off.
“What the hell,” Ken said.
“What was that about?” A man standing near them said. “What did you do to Lia Mooney?” the man stepped forward and grabbed Ken’s neck. “Why did she run out of here like a bat out of hell?”
“Nothing, I swear.” Emma said. “It turns out that she is my friend’s mate. When she saw him, she ran away. We didn’t even talk to her.”
The man let go of Ken. “She’s your mate?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you came right on time. Or you may be too late.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ken asked.
“She’s an only child,” the man said. “Her parents got tired of waiting for her to meet her mate so they could get a heir. Since it didn’t happen, they decided to marry him off to George Marsh since he hasn’t met his mate too. They are engaged to be married next month. I don’t know if you came at the right time, or it’s too late.”
“Thank you so much for this information,” Emma said. “Where do they live?”
“Not far from here,” the man said.
“Ken, you have to go.”
“You have to help me.”
“I have brought you this far,” Emma said. “You’re a man and I believe in you. It’s time for me to find a way out of here. The more time I spend doing nothing, the more my friends suffer.”
“You can’t leave me now.”
“It’s for the best.”